EDUCATION Minister Senator Dr Dana Morris Dixon has announced that the ministry will meet with all key education partners on November 11 to discuss the long-debated Jamaica Teaching Council (JTC) Bill as the Government moves to finalise the legislation after years of delay.

Speaking at Thursday’s Education Transformation Oversight Committee press conference, Dr Morris Dixon said the consultation will bring together representatives from the Jamaica Teachers’ Association (JTA), church groups, school principals and parents in a single forum to examine outstanding issues with the Bill.

“So what we’re doing….we are bringing together all of the key stakeholders for us to again look at the JTC Bill. The JTA has given some comments, the church has also given some comments…and we as ministry, we have to listen to everybody because everybody has an opinion on education and we have to listen,” she said.

She explained that while the JTA has already provided feedback on aspects of the proposed law, other groups — such as the church bodies that own many of Jamaica’s schools — also have concerns that must be addressed.

She also noted that the JTC Bill has been in development for more than two decades, and that the upcoming consultation aims to bring closure to a process that has stretched across multiple administrations.

“…We don’t need to be trying to get the perfect Bill. We need to move forward. This is something that for over 20 years we’ve been working at and we need to finish it and have a Bill. We can always change later on and add new elements to it, but we’re going to be open and that Bill is going to be a Bill that has listened to everyone,” she said.

“We’ve already done lots of consultations over the 20 odd years and we’re doing another round now with all the stakeholders in one room, not individual rooms, but one room. And then we try to come with a new Bill after that discussion,” Morris Dixon added.

Under the revised timeline, the ministry intends to review the feedback gathered during the November meeting, make any necessary adjustments to the legislation, and then reintroduce it to Parliament.

Education Transformation Oversight Committee (ETOC) Chairman Dr Adrian Stokes welcomed the decision to extend the consultation period, describing it as a sensible approach to improving the quality and acceptance of the legislation. However, he cautioned that the process should not stall indefinitely.

“We should not let the perfect be the enemy of the good. So we’re not necessarily seeking a perfect Bill, we need to make a start and there will always be an opportunity to improve the Bill going forward. Overall, there is steady progress towards achieving the milestones for the transformation journey that we are on,” he said.

The JTC Bill, which seeks to regulate and professionalise the teaching workforce through licensing and a formal code of practice, has faced repeated delays due to disagreements over its provisions. The Jamaica Teachers’ Association, for instance, has previously expressed concern that aspects of the Bill could limit teachers’ autonomy or impose overly strict disciplinary powers.

The association has long argued that several clauses in the proposed legislation are too punitive and could undermine teachers’ professional independence. Among the most contentious issues is the composition of the JTC’s governing board. Out of the 31 members proposed, only six would represent classroom teachers through the JTA — a ratio the union believes gives educators little real influence over decisions that directly affect them.

There are also worries that the council could hold disciplinary hearings or even revoke a teacher’s licence for matters already addressed by school boards or the courts. The JTA has described such powers as “duplicative and unfair”, warning that they could expose teachers to what amounts to double jeopardy within the system.

Another sticking point is the requirement for all teachers to be registered and licensed every five years, a process that would include providing updated police records. The JTA contends that this would create unnecessary administrative hurdles for thousands of educators and could be costly for both teachers and the State. It has also criticised the proposed fine of $500,000 for anyone caught teaching without a valid licence, describing it as excessive and out of step with Jamaica’s economic realities.

Former JTA President Dr Mark Smith has previously cautioned that the Bill, in its current form, risks demoralising the teaching force and discouraging young people from entering the profession. He and other association officials have argued that the proposed system duplicates existing school governance structures while offering little in return to support or protect teachers.

Futhermore, Dr Stokes pointed to the need for higher entry standards for teacher training programmes, arguing that improving the quality of new educators is essential to the success of the transformation agenda.

He revealed that a detailed report by the 2022 Jamaica Education Transformation Commission revealed that Jamaica’s current matriculation requirements for teachers fall below international benchmarks.

“So I looked at Singapore and what they do in terms of teacher training and what the standards are [and] the standards are very high. To become a teacher in Singapore, it’s very, very, very difficult.

“It’s one of the most difficult professional endeavours in Singapore. It’s very, very hard to get into. If education is going to be our competitive advantage, and if we’re going to become the Singapore of the region, we too need to fundamentally upgrade the requirements to become a teacher,” he suggested.

He added that any move to raise the bar for teacher training must be matched by a more competitive compensation system.

“What goes with that is we also need to upgrade the reward and recognition programme for teachers. You’re not going to get great people going into teaching and the reward and recognition programme is not competitive, so the two things must work together. Similarly, in Singapore, the teaching profession is one of the most highly paid professions. So that’s where we have to get to,” he said.